1985 Chevrolet Celebrity Reviews

1985 Chevrolet Celebrity 2.8 V6 carburated from North America

Summary:

One of the best, and certainly the least expensive vehicles I ever owned

Faults:

Headliner dropped.

Seal around distributor started to leak oil.

Sway bar broke in the later years.

Replaced tie rod ends and struts.

Other than that, just the typical maintenance. Only had to bring it to a mechanic once, all other repairs I could do.

General Comments:

Purchased the car in 1992 for $3500 with only 50,000 miles on it. Kept it for 13 years, and only had to bring it to a mechanic once. Do the math, it was the cheapest car I ever owned.

And it was a tank in the snow. Even with worn tires, it was unstoppable. With new tires, I could barely get them to spin in deep snow. But it was in the ditch once when it had really worn tires on it. The snow was so deep that I could not open the doors to get out. Rocked it back and forth a few times, and drove right out.

One year, while driving through the SD Badlands, my son, in his car seat, suddenly stretched and kick the shifter into reverse while going down a dirt road at about 55 miles per hour. Killed the engine and all the dash lights were on and bells dinging. I nearly crapped my pants. Brought it to a stop, put it in park and restarted it. Went on our merry way, and the transmission or engine never gave us any trouble for the next 9 years I owned it.

1985 Chevrolet Celebrity 2.8 V6 from North America

Summary:

So far I feel good about the purchase

Faults:

Windshield washer pump is out.

Passenger door does not open from inside.

General Comments:

I was looking for a car for my step-son when I found this car. I searched many car lots and when I saw this car I couldn't believe how good of shape it was in for being a 21 year old car. I only gave $1500 cash for it and it passed inspection without needing any repairs. The guy at the car lot said it is hard to get anyone to buy cars this old regardless of what shape they are in because of their age. After looking at this car and test driving it, I left and looked at many other cars. I eventually went back and bought this car due to it being the best value for the small amount of money I had to spend. The car drives out good and has a surprising amount of power. The inspector told me he had not seen many cars this old that were this clean. I decided to let my step-son drive my car (2001 Hyundai Elantra) and I will drive the Chevy. Parents make many sacrifices for their kids, but I honestly don't mind driving this car as long as it remains reliable.

10th Jun 2006, 03:42

We have owned a Chevy Celebrity for 21 years now. When it was new in 1985 there were a few call backs. Over the years we have tried a few different repair shops and invested probably too much in repair costs. All I can say is it has been reliable enough to drive when it needed repairs. I really don't like the new cars with all the extra electronics and even the unpredictable air bags, but I guess we have to face the inevitable for our safety. A new car costs too much, but it sure is nice when it can last this long without changing ownership!